EPL: Robin van Persie deserves to be PFA Player of the Year

The final list of Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Player of the Year for the Barclays Premier League season 2012-13 is out.

The final list includes six players, the best from the world of Premier League and they are Robin van Persie (Manchester United), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) and Luis Suarez (Liverpool).

Over the course of one year of the Premier League season 2012-13, they have played and contributed for their teams like no other – thus this worthy nomination.

At 31 years of age, Michael Carrick is probably playing the best football of his life, though, perhaps, overshadowed by his colleague Robin van Persie with his goal scoring. But that cannot deter the fact that Carrick’s role in the midfield for the Red Devils has been splendid this season.

Luiz Suarez, despite all the controversies surrounding him, is the one-man army of Liverpool, having scored a good 23 goals so far, thereby deserving the nomination too.

The return of Gareth Bale to the squad post his injury inspired Tottenham Hotspur to beat defending champions Manchester City at home after having gone down 0-1 during half time. He’s been inspirational for the team throughout the season and reports say big teams all over the world are vying for his signature.

Juan Mata and Eden Hazard have been the force behind the fighting spirit of Chelsea. While Hazard has been phenomenal in his first season at the club, Mata has been leading from the front, setting and scoring vital goals.

Such is the talent in the Barclays Premier League and they all deserve to be the PFA Player of the Year.

However, one name that stands amongst them all is Robin van Persie of Manchester United, the reigning PFA Player of the Year.

Now that Manchester United have officially sealed the Barclays Premier League and are the champions for a record 20th time, one man has been vital in this and it is none other than van Persie.

24 goals in 34 Premier League matches with a hat-trick against Aston Villa that sealed the league on April 22, 2013 at Old Trafford, he is the man who deserves to be the PFA Player of the Year. And he has every right to defend the title that he won a year ago with Arsenal.

Here is why!

First of all, 24 goals in debut season for the Red Devils with three hat-tricks after the famous 24 million pounds summer transfer where the dethroned champions and derby rivals Manchester City had also vied for his signature. And still, there are four more games to go for and a few more goals are expected from the man.

While scoring is his ability and talent, scoring crucial goals is what the Dutchman has been doing. He has scored all the winners in major games against Manchester City (away), Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and a hat-trick against Southampton in a 3-2 win. These goals have been vital in keeping the 15 point gap with second placed Manchester City for a good part of the season and a psychological advantage.

While he failed to score in 10 games for the Red Devils post the winter break, he broke the jinx scoring the winner against Stoke City in April and he has not looked back since.

Announcing his return to form, he scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa to seal out every team in the Premier League and declared Manchester United as Champions of Barclays Premier League 2012-13.

Having lost out to derby rivals City in the previous season on goal difference, van Persie was the man that ManU needed and he delivered it in his first year with the team.

As Roberto Mancini, the manager of the dethroned champions, believes, van Persie ‘is the difference’ and the title race would have been different had City signed the Dutchman.

But Robin van Persie is a Red Devil at Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams - a place where his dream of winning a Premier League title came true.